


Come back! Even as a shadow, even as a dream-

by sailortaire



Category: The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gang World, Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ambiguous/Open Ending, M/M, anyway, but it's achilles so i think i have a right lol, don't read if you don't like violence, or revenge, or violent revengey romance, this is...violent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 01:45:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9694358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailortaire/pseuds/sailortaire
Summary: Achilles and Patroclus were in love. Their love had been foretold for thousands of years in the loom of the fates-and then their string was cut. In this modern age, they have come again, resurfacing as two strings tangled together...but you cannot cheat fate, no matter how many lifetimes you try.





	

**Author's Note:**

> it's Been a While lol sorry i have chronic depression but anywaY this is based off a prompt i got like a year ago lol i modified it a l o t but here we are :) it takes place somewhere in the southern US (but that's not really t h a t important to the plot except for some cultural things)...sorry abt the southern slang-just comment if ur confused n i'll clear it up for ya. anyway! this is a southern gang au with a little something extra. also- i didnt wanna chapter this so breaks are marked with a "➳" ok okay.

"Achilles! Hurry up, we're gonna be late to your mother's party!", Patroclus yelled, nervously adjusing his tie as he studied himself in the mirror. He grabbed his wallet off the nightstand and put it in his pocket. _Y'all'n'er be too careful,_ he thought.

"Okay, okay, okay, I'm here, my love, sorry about the wait,", Achilles said, stepping out of the bathroom joined with their bedroom. He spun around dramatically in front of Patroclus.

Patroclus gave Achilles a once over, noticing the gun hidden under Achilles' jacket, and then nodded his approval. "That's okay, my love. At least you're wearing that suit your mother picked out for you and not jeans like you wanted to."

Achilles laughed before reaching for Patroclus' and and kissing the back of it. "My love, you know how much I hate these fancy country dinner dances or what'er the fuck they're called."

Patroclus rolled his eyes and gently took his and out of Achilles', turning to grab a comb and then attacking Achilles' air with it. "Your mother's a southern belle who's rich off your dead daddy's money- your dead daddy who she hired a hit on."

Achilles rolled his eyes. "That old bastard deserved it,", he said softly.

Patroclus gave up on cleaning up Achilles and tossed the comb onto the bed before drawing in Achilles for a kiss, his hands cupping Achilles' cheeks.

Achilles broke the kiss off with a laugh. "Now, now, my love, don't go starting that. We'll never leave."

Patroclus scrunched his nose and stuck out his tongue. "Later,", he said, grabbing his husband's arm and dragging him out of their room.  
  
➳

"Achilles! Patroclus! My two wonderful sons, how are you?", Thetis asked as soon as she saw them step into the ballroom together.

"We're good, ma'am, how are you?", Patroclus asked.

"I'm excellent, thank you,", Thetis said, smiling. "The guests are going to arrive in half an hour, so make yourselves useful and help the kitchen with plating the food and bringing it to the tables,", she said, gesturing to the kitchens, still smiling.

"Yes, ma'am,", Achilles and Patroclus said together as Thetis turned away from them.  
  
➳  
  
Half an hour later, the ballroom was filled with guests from all over the countryside, and as Achilles went to get Patroclus a drink, Patroclus noticed some guests who were not invited- Hector and his gang; they were rivals with Thetis' gang, and had likely come to stir up trouble. Just as Patroclus had stood up to go tell security, Hector made eye contact with him and started walking over.

Patroclus swallowed nervously as his hands reflexively curled into fists. Hector and his gang were trouble, and them being here made Patroclus more nervous than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

"Hey, Patroclus, where's your bitch?", Hector asked, pulling out a chair and sitting down as his gang kept watch over the party around them. "Oh, that's right, sorry, I forgot- you're _his_ bitch, not the other way around," he continued, chuckling when he saw Patroclus' face flush.

"Y'ain't got no business here,", Patroclus hissed, "and y'all better leave before Thetis' thugs tan y'all's hides."

Hector laughed. "Oh, Patroclus, bless your heart. Do you really think Thetis doesn't know we're here?", He pulled out a pistol and set it on the table. "She invited us-invited me. Did ya really think Thetis approves of your...relationship with her son? With you sullying her good family's reputation? Achilles deserves someone from a good family, not a bastard orphan like you."

Patroclus blinked away tears as he frantically searched the ballroom for Achilles.

"You looking for him now, boy? He's a little tied up right now,", Hector said, picking up his pistol and pointing with it.

Patroclus followed Hector's gaze and let out a small sob at what he saw- Achilles was in conversation with some girl, with his mama looking on. He knew what that meant; he'd be a fool not to.

"I'm right sorry about this, Patroclus, but, you see...you were never meant for this life. Achilles should have left you to rot in that jail cell for killing that boy, instead of breaking you out and making you his stable boy,", Hector said lowly.

Patroclus closed his eyes. "Please.."

"Don't worry- nobody'll even hear the gunshot with all this music going on,", Hector said, and then he pulled the trigger.

➳

Achilles gasped, clutching his chest. It hurt, suddenly, like it was being deep fried.

"Achilles?" Deidamia asked. "Are you all right?"

Achilles shook his head, waving her off. "Pardon me," he gasped, "but I need-", Achilles' knees gave way and he fell onto the floor and he hit his head on the marble floor, his hand still clutching his heart.

➳

Patroclus opened his eyes and jumped. Staring right into his eyes was an old man in a cloak, and they were on the shore of a river.

"You got money?", the old man asked. "I can't take you across without money."

"M-money?" Patroclus stuttered. "W-why?"

"Because, I can't take you across the river without money, you stupid boy!" the old man said loudly.

"R-riv-ri-river?" Patroclus asked.

"Sweet mother of Zeus, I am not paid enough for this,", the old man muttered, then stepped to Patroclus and started patting him down, letting out an approving noise when he found Patroclus' wallet.

"Y'ain't paid enough for what?", Patroclus asked.

The old man let out a deep sigh. "Okay, kid, here's the run down; you're dead, and you need to get to the Underworld. I can take you across the river: that's my job, but I'm gonna have to steal this-", he held Patroclus' wallet up- "because, well, it's not like you really need it down here,", he said, then let out a sharp laugh. "Now get on the boat."

➳

Achilles opened his eyes and groaned. His mama was pressing a cool cloth to his forehead, her lips pressed together.

"Wha'appened?", he slurred, trying to sit up.

Thetis held him down. "There's been a disagreement at the dinner party,", she said.

"Fuck,", Achilles said, "who died?"

Thetis didn't meet her son's eyes.

"Mama,", Achilles said slowly, "who died?"

"Patroclus,", Thetis said.

Achilles sat up, brushing away Thetis's hands.

"Who?", he asked softly, his eyes glinting.

"Hector,", Thetis said.

Achilles stood up abruptly and walked to the door.

"Achilles-", Thetis started.

"Mama,", Achilles interrupted, "don't."

He walked out the door.

➳

"Hey, boss,", Hector said into his phone.

"He's coming,", Thetis said, then hung up.

Hector stared at his phone, then took out his gun.

"Fuck."

➳

Achilles stalked over to his and Patroclus' bedroom, growling under his breath.

Patroclus-his Patroclus- was dead: killed, and he knew who'd done it.

Hector.

Achilles had had a rivalry with Hector ever since Achilles had let Hector's sister, Briseis, become a part of his gang.

Briseis was tired of dealing drugs and taking names, so she left to join her brother's rival gang. That wasn't Achilles' fault.

Achilles took a deep breath as he opened the closet, revealing a stash of weapons: guns, mostly, but there were also a few daggers and knives. Achilles would have preferred more variety, but Patroclus had refused.

Achilles took what he needed and left.

Patroclus had always been the only good in him.

 ➳

"Patroclus,", the old man said suddenly. "You're Patroclus."

"Um, yeah that's me,", Patroclus said, "why does it matter though?"'

The boatkeeper took a deep breath and then sighed.

"That means Hades and Persephone will be seeing you,", he said.

"What the fuck? Hades and Perseph- what the fuck?" Patroclus shouted, immediately regretting it when he saw the glint in the boatkeeper's eyes.

"You're Patroclus,", the man repeated, and then turned away from Patroclus, staring into the distance. He slapped his paddle in the water absently.

Patroclus sighed. "All right, then."

➳

Achilles stepped into the building and shot the first man he saw in the iliac artery, scanning the area for more people. He saw a group of Hector's hitmen, and he shot all of them in the trachea before moving on.

When he didn't find any, he slowly walked down the hallway, keeping his gun ready to fire.

He saw a flight of stairs leading down to some sort of basement, and he hurried down them.

The basement, he discovered, had Hector in it- and he was alone.

Achilles grinned. "Hey, Hector!", he shouted.

Hector turned from the files he was looking at on top of a desk and paled at what he saw.

➳

Achilles stepped into the building and shot the first man he saw in the iliac artery, scanning the area for more people. He saw a group of Hector's hitmen, and he shot all of them in the trachea before moving on.

When he didn't find any, he slowly walked down the hallway, keeping his gun ready to fire.

He saw a flight of stairs leading down to some sort of basement, and he hurried down them.

The basement, he discovered, had Hector in it- and he was alone.

Achilles grinned. "Hey, Hector!", he shouted.

Hector turned from the files he was looking at on top of a desk and paled at what he saw.

➳

"Persephone,", Hades said, "who is this?"

Persephone smiled, her red lipstick looking like blood in the low lighting.

She's beautiful, Patroclus thought, beautiful but deadly.

"Husband,", Persephone said, her voice like the whisper of a blade as it swung through the air before meeting it's target, "leave us."

Hades didn't hesitate as he got up from his throne of skulls and left the throne room.

"And now,", Persephone said, still smiling, "we wait."

➳

Achilles stalked forward, his whole body covered with blood that had spattered onto him.

He grabbed Hector by the hair and dragged him to his knees, his other hand bringing out a knife from his thigh holster.

He raised the blade and dragged it down Hector's cheek, digging it in and steadily cutting down Hector's navel, cutting through his shirt.

"Hey, tough guy,", Achilles whispered, "how's it going?"

Hector gurgled, blood running out of him like a river.

"That's what I thought,", Achilles murmured, and then suddenly whipped the knife away from Hector's navel and into his right eye.

Hector screamed as Achilles cut out his eye, and then cut out the other one.

Achilles leaned forward, cupping Hector's jaw as he whispered into his ear. "Patroclus was my _**heart**_ ,", he said, "and I lost him."

He pushed Hector onto the floor and then drove his knife into Hector's heart, pinning him to the concrete floor as Hector weakly thrashed, his bleeding now draining his entire body of blood.

Achilles cut out Hector's heart as Hector fought to keep breathing, ripping it out with his bare hands as it breached the surface of Hector's chest.

He threw Hector's heart on the floor and turned the knife on himself, but before he could drive it home, his surroundings changed.

➳

Patroclus gasped as Achilles suddenly appeared, covered in blood and holding the knife Patroclus had given him for their three year anniversary.

"Achilles,", Persephone said, "take Patroclus and go."

Achilles' eyes widened. "What?"

Persephone laughed. "I have some pull around here. I'm sure Hades won't mind if Patroclus never was in the Underworld."

"Ma'am-", Achilles started.

"It's Queen Persephone,", Persephone said coldly, "and let's just say I'm a sucker for happy endings. You two have been through a lot, you deserve the best."

Patroclus went to Achilles and grabbed his shirt collar, dragging him down for a kiss. "Let's go,", he murmured against Achilles' lips.

Their world blurred and they appeared in Achilles' bedroom.

"Patroclus,", Achilles breathed, "what-".

"Hey,", Patroclus whispered, "I think we just cheated death."

Achilles laughed. "I think we did," he said, and then moved to kiss Patroclus.

"My love,", Patroclus murmured, "why don't we clean you up a little?"

Achilles smiled. "I'd like that."

Patroclus kissed Achilles on the cheek before going into the bathroom. "You coming?", he shouted.

Achilles shook his head, trying to clear it. It could wait. "Yes, my love,", he shouted back.

Finding out who had let Hector into the party could wait. Right now, he had the love of his life to make love to.

**Author's Note:**

> (Y'all'n'er is a word i've actually said before...my apologies...but, like i said, this is a southern au and i did try to keep the slang to a minimum but *shrug emojii*-also if i made any grammar mistakes pls tell me bc...commas...i suck at writing dialogue lmao and also i didn't spellcheck and my dyslexia mightve screwed stuff up but! anyway)) (i feel like the ending's kinda rushed but?? i hope y'all like it anyway lol) i'm open to more prompts!! im currently working on a chaptered hogwarts au but it's a beast and won't be out for a while so! prompt me! <33333


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